Tales From the Fallen Empire

Najambi

Description: Najambi has always been considered the savage lands. Even in the First Age when the Atevans settled upon Leviathan’s great corpse, the southern jungles have been a place of danger and the unknown. In the years since, many have traveled to the great jungles looking for the secret behind the world’s creation or have been banished into its dark core. In the First Age, it was the abominable creatures brought from the surrounding realms by the Dragons who were left here to be forgotten. In the Second Age, when the powerful Man-Apes fled the city-state of Uruk, it was this jungle that shortly became their home. Beyond the curtain of wild foliage is a world that has been left untouched by the generations of Atevans, mankind, and other creatures who have had a stake in the world. Primitive man has thrived in the jungles living amongst the great lizards, giant carnivorous beasts, and the other things that man has forgotten. Outside the tribal villages of man are the temples of the Draki, hyper-intelligent lizards who seek to find a passage back from the realm they were torn from by the Dragons, powerful sorcerers who fled the destruction at the end of the Second Age, and the warlike Ooruk who plot against their creators from hidden jungle cities. As humans are a curious race, many have traveled north from the jungles to seek out a new life amongst the “civilized” only to find that those who dwell in the great stone cities are no better than the savage tribes they war with back home. The men and women of Najambi are of average height and weight and, like their cousins in Kesh, have dark hair, eyes, and coal black skin. With the heat of the jungle being oppressive and unbearably humid at times, the Najambi natives find clothing more than a loincloth or simple animal skin uncomfortable.

Culture: The people of Najambi live in primitive conditions away from the advanced city-states of the north. The natives form tribal communities to protect themselves from the ruthless predators, abominations, and aggressive tribes who share the jungle. Each tribe gives their fealty to a tribal chieftain who is chosen from the warriors of the community. This leader is responsible for ensuring the survival of the people and providing the resources to move the tribe forward. Behind the chieftain is the tribe’s Shaman (or Witch); it is this individual who truly controls the opinions and actions of the people. Tribal law dictates that the village Shaman is a divine emissary and to deny him is to deny the gods. The Warrior caste is the next level in the hierarchy and finally the People. Potential warriors are taken from their mothers at a young age to be put through the trials; this rite of passage is an honor sought by all young men in the village, even knowing that the chance of returning from the trails is low. Those not fit for the Warrior caste is taken in by an artisan to learn a trade skill. Like the barbarians of Karthis, the Najambi see sorcery as a tool of demons and devils and stay far from such things. Adventuring tribesmen may be a bit more neutral to the idea, but to them the only good sorcerer is a dead one.

Religion: Faith amongst the natives of Najambi comes in many forms and ideals. Many believe that the jungle is filled with ancestral spirits and elemental spirits who live in the trees, water, and ground. It is the village Shaman who keeps such temperamental forces of nature at bay, and again is why the Shaman holds such great power over his people. This belief creates much superstition and fear of their surroundings. When taking a life, whether it is human, animal, or vegetation, the person doing so must ask for forgiveness before following through. The tribesmen feel it would bring upon them (and their families) a curse that can only be lifted by the blood of the one performing the act. Outside of Najambi, this can be viewed as an odd behavior and can be confusing during a physical confrontation with someone outside of the culture. Farther to the south, some tribes have embraced bastardizations of some of the Atevan war gods. Twisted and demonized, these once powerful symbols of strength in battle have become hideous blood-drinking abominations, a perfect fit for the brutal cannibal tribes in the region.

Language: There are many languages amongst the numerous tribes that inhabit Najambi. The most common of the tribal tongues is Nazambu, an eclectic language used for trade between several predominate tribes.